Lost Beauty Found by archy12
by P.S. I Love You Contest
Summary: Love can be of myriad hues. Bella's love for Edward makes her break all the rules. Will he ever love her?


**Contest entry for the P.S. I Love You Contest**

 **Title:** Lost Beauty Found

 **Pairing:** Edward/Bella

 **Rating:** M

 **Word Count:** 8,670

 **Summary:** Love can be of myriad hues. Bella's love for Edward makes her break all the rules. Will he ever love her?

 **Disclaimer:** Twilight and its inclusive material is copyright to Stephenie Meyer. Original creation, including but not limited to plot and characters, is copyright to the respective authors of each story. No copyright infringement is intended.

* * *

 **Lost Beauty Found**

"Edward, Ed-ward. Wake up, pretty boy."

Ugh, stop with the sing-song tone and go away.

"I know you are awake. Open your emerald eyes and look at me, handsome."

I roll my eyes without opening them. Seriously, _emerald eyes_? Who the fuck talks like that? What kind of chick did I pick up last night?

Soft fingers walk up my bare chest. "I see you are not in the mood to get up. Perhaps I can help you change your mind?"

I smile, not caring to pretend any more. Oh baby, if you are thinking what I am thinking, you are most welcome to _help_ me.

The fingers walk south, pausing at the edge of my boxers. More fingers join them, helping them push them down right to my feet, and I kick them off. The fingers walk back to where I want them, and group together with the thumbs to surround my cock, one hand on top of the other. What can I say? I am a big boy.

They stroke, they grip and pull until I am fully erect and groaning with anticipation, and then a pair of full lips encircle me and a warm mouth and a marvellous tongue take me on a journey to heaven. Somewhere on the way I open my eyes, but the semi-darkness around isn't interesting enough to keep them that way, so I close them again and give myself up to the sensations running up and down my body.

When I am spent and my panting has lessened, I stretch lazily and open my eyes again, ready to thank my angel. However, when my eyes adjust to the darkness, I find that I am alone in the room.

I blink repeatedly, trying to make some sense of what has happened. Did I dream the whole experience? No, my cock disagrees. That kind of intense experience had to be real.

Now that I am alone, the darkness bothers me. I am a creature of brightness; I live to dazzle others, to be in the spotlight. I need to be constantly surrounded by lights. I even go to sleep with a night light in my room, wherever I am in the world.

I am not in my hotel room, of course. That much I do remember, no matter how much I had to drink last night. I had celebrated the end of my assignment with a night out at the best club of the town, met this sinfully sexy blonde and accepted her invitation to spend the night with her. After that…I frown as the details elude me. But every hotel room has a table lamp or something. Perhaps I was too busy with other, more pleasant activities. I get up from the bed and look around for a light switch or lamp.

The side table has a phone and a digital alarm clock on it, but no lamp. The ornate looking holder on the wall has no bulb in it. The housekeeping in this hotel sucks!

There is a window, but when I draw back the heavy silk curtains I find opaque glass panes fitted in small panels and a solid grill in front of them. They barely allow any light to steal inside. I can make out that it is day, but that's it. This is the limit. I mean, some hotels take security very seriously, but come on.

I look at the clock and find it is eight in the morning. Now where is my phone? I have to contact my agent and find out what time is my flight.

The shirt and jeans I was wearing last night are hanging in a small wardrobe, but though I check all the pockets I can't find my phone anywhere. Even more disturbing is the fact that my wallet is missing. It is not on the bed or the table, and there is no other furniture in the room. I even check the adjoining bathroom, but nothing.

The bathroom is strictly functional, but there is a new toothbrush and toothpaste, so I brush my teeth and put on my clothes. I will go down to the reception and call my agent from there. I don't look my best, but that can't be helped.

However, when I try to open the door, it doesn't budge.

This is too much. Did Sexy Chick lock me in? Why would she do that? I would have been happy to oblige her if she had wanted another round.

Wait, has she stolen my phone and wallet? Damn, I knew going to her place was a bad idea. I should have taken her to my hotel.

I sigh and approach the hotel phone. I can only hope the receptionist is the discreet type and doesn't babble to the media. The tabloids would have a field day with this story!

I pick up the handset and dial zero, and a sultry voice answers. "Good morning, sir. What can I do for you?"

My first thought is to ask her to come to my room so she can give me a demo of everything she can do for me, but since much depends on her goodwill I cut that idea short. Instead I use my most charming tone on her.

"Good morning, Miss. It seems I have been locked in my room. Can you please send someone to unlock the door so I can leave? And I am sorry, but I don't know the room number. You see," I drop my volume and add a touch of sheepishness to my tone, "I came here with a girl I met at a club. I don't even know her name. And now she has stolen my phone and wallet as well. Please help me."

I am not sure what I expected her reaction to be. A polite cough to disguise her amusement, perhaps, or even a chuckle, but not outright laughter. And yet that's what she does—she chortles as if I have made the funniest joke ever.

I bite my tongue as I control myself from saying something extremely rude. Still, I can't help but sound annoyed when I speak. After she has stopped expelling her mirth, of course.

"It's not _that_ funny, you know. In fact, it's a nuisance. I have a flight to catch sometime today and for that I need to contact my agent. Can you send someone quickly?"

"No."

What the…What is she playing at? I will have to complain to the management.

"What do you mean no? You don't have a staff member who can come unlock my door? What kind of hotel is are you running anyway?"

"Hotel?" Another chortle. "You are more stupid than I had been told, Edward."

A prickle of unease runs down my back. I ignore the insult and focus on other, more important things.

"How do you know my name? And if this is not a hotel, what is it?"

A sigh. "All in good time, Edward. Are you hungry?"

The change of topic leaves me baffled. "Hungry?"

"Yes, Edward," she says, with exaggerated patience, "hungry. You know, the empty feeling in your stomach? Or have you never experienced hunger?"

"Of course I have experienced hunger," I reply indignantly. "And yes, I am hungry right now, but first I would like to—"

"I will send breakfast for you. If you eat everything like a good boy, you might get to meet my boss."

The phone is disconnected.

Boss? Like in the mafia? Jesus, what have I got myself into?

Whatever. As soon as that door opens, I am out of here. I brace myself for the run. I have always been light of foot. No chick or dude will be able to catch me.

The door opens and a trolley is pushed in, followed by a mountain of a man. If I want to squeeze past him, I would have to be an ant, or a sheet of paper. I unbrace myself and sit on the bed, making myself look as harmless as possible.

Even in the greyish light of the room I can see his muscles flex. I am in good shape; I have to be for my job. But this dude can probably crush my skull between his dinner-plate size hands if he wants to. Better not give him a reason.

He places the trolley in front of me and then does something completely unexpected. He grins broadly, showing even white teeth and dimples on both sides. I blink at him stupidly.

"Have your meal, bro. I will be back in fifteen minutes. Better finish everything, by the way. Rose doesn't like food to be wasted."

"Rose?"

"My wife. She manages this whole place."

"Oh. And what is _this_ place?

He grins again. "I can tell you, but then I will have to kill you." He looks at his watch. "Fourteen minutes."

And he is gone, shutting the door after him. I sigh and lift the silver dome on the tray. A big-mouth burger, freshly made, a side of large fries and a small bowl of cheesy jalapeno dip greets me. At least they aren't planning to starve me. Yet.

Mindful of the time limit, I attack the food like I haven't eaten forever. The clock informs me that I have succeeded in decimating my burger and fries in less than ten minutes. Now if only I had a nicely chilled beer to wash it down…

As if I had wished aloud, the mountain-man appears like Aladdin's genie, though he comes in like a normal man after opening the door. I imagine him popping up from the fabled lamp and suppress a snicker. After all, he has a bottle of Sam Adams in his hand, drops of condensation rolling down the famous picture of Paul Revere on the label. They make him look like he is standing in gently falling rain.

Genie-man smacks the bottle on the table with a flourish and produces a bottle-opener from the pocket of his apron while I try not to drool at the welcome sight. With a twist of his thick wrist, he takes the cap off and grins happily.

"There you go, mate. And good job on finishing the food." He sounds like a proud parent whose pre-schooler has just won his first race.

I take a large gulp of the cold liquid and make an appreciative noise. "Thank you. This is my favorite beer, and the burger was good too. I hadn't expected this, so…" I take another long pull.

He shrugs. "Oh well, we have been expecting you, so we—"

The rest of his sentence is lost on me as I choke on my beer. I cough and my eyes water as I rub my chest, trying to breathe properly. The beer-man pats my back helpfully, but his forceful hands only make my coughing worse. I wave a hand at him to make him stop.

When I finally stop coughing, he hands me a tissue to wipe my eyes and nose. Truly a marvelous genie, this bear-like man!

"Did you say you were expecting me?" I ask, having got my breath back.

He looks puzzled. "Why yes, we were. How else could we prepare for your arrival?"

"But how—I mean—how is that possible?" I stutter. "How could you know I would leave with that girl, or even visit that particular club? Why am I here anyway?"

Another shrug. "I don't know any of that. I only had my instructions, and I followed them."

"Oh yes, I suppose only your boss knows. What is he, the Godfather?"

A look of surprise crosses his face before he bursts into guffaws so loud that the table begins to shake, being in contact with his tree-trunk like leg. I rescue my precious beer before it gets spilt on the floor.

"Godfather, haha! That is a good one. Bella will love that!"

"Bella? Your boss is a woman?"

His eyes go cold suddenly. "Yes, she is. You have a problem with that?"

His tone warns me that I am trading on thin ice. "No, of course not. I just didn't expect it, that's all." I throw up my hands. "What do I know of the mafia anyway?"

His smile comes back like the sun breaking through the clouds. "Mafia? You are a funny fellow, mate. There is no mafia here."

"Who is she then?" I ask, frustrated. "What does she want with me?"

In answer, he picks up the phone on the table and dials zero.

"Hey Rose, our guest wants to meet _the Godfather_. Should we let him?"

I groan and hide my face in my hands. Great. Not only I am held by a pack of loons, but they are laughing at me as well.

"Yes, he is full of jokes, isn't he? Maybe he can make Bella laugh, do you think?"

Oh yes, a comedian. That's going to be my new career. This Bella person sounds like she never laughs and needs her own personal jester. What is her problem anyway? Can't she laugh on her own?

"Okay, we are on our way." He puts the phone down and winks at me. "Come on bro, time to meet the Mafia Mother."

I roll my eyes and take a final gulp of the beer, and give a burp of satisfaction. Mister Wink here nods at me for a job well done and picks up the tray and bottle, and leads me out of the room.

The sultry-voiced Rose might have laughed at me for believing I was in a hotel, but this place actually looks like one. A very opulent one, by the way. The shoddiness of my room is in no way an indication of the rest of the building.

I notice that my room is on the third floor. The corridors are open, making a huge rectangle, with curved staircases leading to the floors below. The carpet under my feet is luxuriously soft. There is a gigantic crystal chandelier suspended from the ceiling, reflecting the sunlight coming in through large windows that are evenly spaced throughout the corridors. The bannister is polished mahogany.

I take a quick glance out of a window and see lots and lots of trees, and mountains further on. There is no sign of civilization, not even a village. I wonder again where I am and how they got me here without anyone noticing. Was I drugged?

Two flights of stairs later we arrive in the hall. Tall columns decorated with statues of fairies and birds are placed here and there, breaking the monotony of the rich red carpet that stretches from one end to the other. There are two separate seating arrangements, involving cream and black sofas and glass tables resting on wooden swans. Doors lead off to more rooms around the foyer. My eyes are immediately drawn to the glass doors showing a glimpse of the grounds outside before the bear-like man behind me slaps my shoulder and points his chin to someone standing near one of the columns.

"Bella, your guest," he announces with a flourish. Seriously, did he work in the theatre before becoming a butler?

The woman who comes forward from the shadows has a nice curvaceous figure, complimented by the short, wine-red dress she is wearing. _Sexy_ is the word that comes to my mind first of all. However, there is something odd about her. She does not seem very comfortable in her skin, or maybe I am making her uncomfortable. Strange, seeing it is she who has abducted me and brought me to this palace-like house.

Also, her face is covered with an unusual mask that hides her forehead, nose and cheeks. Her eyes are beautiful, dark and lustrous, but they seem wary of me. Her lips are full and red, but she is biting the lower one nervously. I would have expected heels with the dress she is wearing, but her feet are as bare as mine. Still, she is only a few inches shorter to me.

Her wavy, dark brown hair gleam in the sunlight as she moves, a reddish tint to them. She winds the fingers of one hand in a stray lock and pulls it, extending the other hand shyly. I am so surprised that I extend mine and shake hers without thinking.

A tentative smile breaks out, curving those gorgeous lips upwards. She speaks.

"Welcome home, Edward."

What the actual fuck?

Her face falls as the smile disappears, and I realize that I have said those words aloud.

"Are you angry?" she says softly, her eyes even more anxious than before. "Please, don't be angry. I have been waiting a long time for you, my love."

Wait, what? _My love?_ Is she for real?

I stare at her in complete bafflement, when we are joined by another woman, this one probably in her mid-thirties. She is almost as tall as the loony chick, but very slim. There is an air of elegance about her, right from her golden hair that is arranged in a neat coiffure to the long dress that sweeps her ankles. She looks prepared for a red carpet event or at least a ball dance.

She also looks amused, for some reason. Heaven knows, I can't see anything funny in this situation.

"Bella," she chides the _my love_ girl, "you have to give Edward some time to get used to the idea. Remember, he doesn't know anything yet."

Ah, so this is the owner of the sultry voice on the phone. Exactly who she is to this Bella?

Whoever she is, she has some influence over her. Bella seems to calm down a bit and smile at me. "You are right, Rosie. We should explain things to him before expecting him to reciprocate my feelings, right?"

Well, that would be helpful. Or not, depending upon the explanation.

Rosie agrees, and we go sit on the sofas. Beer-man asks if anybody wants something to drink, but we shake our heads.

Bella clears her throat, nervous again. "Do you remember me at all, Edward?"

Genuinely puzzled, I say no in an apologetic tone. She sighs.

"I suppose that is not surprising. We were in Forks High together, but you were a year senior."

Now I am really surprised. Forks High was so small that everybody knew everybody else. The majority of kids had been born in the town and grew up playing together. Or fighting each other. Or drinking. Whatever.

My expression must have clued her, for she explained further. "My father was Charlie Swan, the police chief of Forks. I came to live with him only when I was in my junior year. And I left only after a few months because of the…accident."

Charlie Swan? Swan. Bella Swan. Oh my God. Horrifying images rush across my mind. The storm, the shattering of glass, the fire in the lab, the students rushing pell-mell to the exit…

She nods, pressing her lips together.

"I remember now." My voice is barely a whisper because my throat is so dry. "You were the one who were trapped in the lab. You got…burnt."

"And scarred, because _someone_ was in a hurry to get out and pushed me. I fell on the shards of glass that were everywhere on the floor."

Now her eyes are blazing with anger. I am completely taken aback, as much as by the change in her as the insinuation.

"No, Bella, that's not possible—"

Before I can complete my sentence, Bella's Bear is in my face, his nose almost touching mine. And he is even angrier than her.

"Don't you dare call her a liar," he grinds out through his teeth, the veins on his forehead becoming prominent. "Here I have been feeding you and joking with you, and _you_ were the one who caused all that to her?" He turns to his mistress while I am still reeling with the accusation. "Bella, why did you never told me the bastard's name? Why didn't you order me to strangle him while he was getting his cock sucked by Heidi? He doesn't deserve your hospitality!"

Rose, who seems to be the only calm one, shakes her head and puts her hand on the beast's arm. He moves back and settles down, though still glaring daggers at me.

"Because Bella loves him, Emmett," she says silkily. So that is the name of the monster.

Wait, did Rose say Bella _loves_ me, as in she still does? How is that possible?

"She is right, Em, I don't want you to harm him. At least, not right now." Bella's tone is cold, but when I look at her, her eyes are no longer blazing.

"I am sorry, Bella," I say hastily. "I didn't mean to say you were lying. It's just that I don't recall anything like that happening when the storm hit and the fire broke out. I am so sorry you got hurt."

She presses her lips and nods, hopefully hearing the sincerity in my voice. "I believe you. You were in a hurry, as was everyone else. Why would you care if some junior you didn't even know well got left behind in the rush? You had never even noticed me in the halls, had you? Or in the classroom?"

"We shared a class?"

"AP Chemistry," she replies. "I had a huge crush on you, Edward, right from the first day of the school. You were too busy being the golden boy, of course. You were good at studies and at baseball, the teachers loved you for your impeccable manners, the boys wanted to be you and the girls wanted to be _with_ you. With every passing day I felt more and more attracted to you. I even left a note in your locker and sent flowers to you on Valentine's Day, but you didn't even see me, did you? I was completely invisible to you."

Bitter. She sounds so bitter. Not that I can blame her, at least not for getting hurt. As for not paying attention to her…

"I am truly sorry for everything, Bella. I may have been a bit of an ass then, too full of myself because I was having a really good time. But do you still blame me for not having noticed you? It's been fourteen years, after all. Surely you have realized that I didn't deliberately ignore you? You never actually spoke to me, did you? Or put a name on that note, or a card with the flowers. How was I supposed to know?"

Her nostrils flare. "You should have listened to your heart, Edward. It would have told you the truth that I was the one who loved you, unlike those other girls who wanted you because you were Mister Popular. They did not know you like I did, not even your stupid girlfriend Jessica. Why were you with her anyway—because she had big boobs?"

My eyes immediately went to hers. What? I am a man. You mention boobs, I will look at them.

Emmett's growl had me raising my eyes to Bella's quickly. She didn't look upset though, more like flattered.

"Uh, Jessica…it wasn't serious, just one of those high school things. We knew we were going to colleges in different cities afterwards." Suddenly I am hit by something she said before mentioning Jessica. "Wait, what did you mean by saying you knew me better than others? Did we even have a proper conversation while you were there?"

She gives a sexy smile. "Oh, I had my ways. I was good at finding information, and at computers. And being invisible had its advantages too."

She sound like she hacked into my computer and stalked me at school. Disturbing.

I shake my head in bewilderment. "I just want to know why I am here. Did you really get me abducted? That's a little extreme, don't you think?"

Her mouth turned sulky. "How else was I supposed to get you here? Would you have accepted an invitation to visit me? Would you have stayed here with me forever?"

My mouth dries up. "What do you mean forever? You got me here, we hashed out what happened years ago, and I have apologized. What else is there?"

There is fire in her eyes again. She leans forward, displaying a lot of cleavage, but I keep my eyes up. This is not the time to get distracted.

"You think I got you here for an _apology_? What a stupid assumption! Why would I go to so much trouble for a few words from you, Edward? No, you are here because I still love you."

My eyes widen. "And that is not extreme? You could have befriended me on facebook, or come to Los Angeles and introduced yourself, said you wanted to date me! That is what normal people do, you know?"

Her lips twist in an ugly smile. "But I am not normal, Edward. I have spent the last fourteen years planning to get you, or at least thirteen. The first year was…I wasn't quite myself. And dating? You think you would have wanted to date me after seeing _this?"_

She whips off the silk mask covering her face, and I gasp with shock. Her cheeks are heavily scarred, and her forehead…uneven is the only word I can think of. The skin is mottled and a peculiar shade of red, definitely not something I have seen on a human face. She is right, I wouldn't have dated her in the normal course of things.

The mask is replaced. "I can see the answer in your face, Edward. No, this was the only way. Now that you are here and don't have an option, you will learn to love me as I love you. Even if you don't, you belong to me now. For life."

She is definitely crazy. The strange thing is that her friends…subordinates don't find it so. Perhaps they have a screw loose as well. Living in such a place, far away from the rest of the world…It will make anybody crazy.

"I still think he should be punished, Bella," says the giant. Emmett. Why is he so loyal to her?

She waves a hand in a rather regal gesture. "Not now, Em. As Rose said, he deserves a chance to understand first. If he does anything wrong…"

She does not need to complete the sentence. I am sure Em the terminator will love to crush my balls, given the reason.

"This is a lot to take in," I murmur. How do I escape this madhouse? I can't live here all my life. Not even a day.

"Anyone wants a drink now?" asks Emmett, looking at us expectedly.

An idea comes to my mind, and I ask for a Whiskey Sour. It will give me a few minutes without him looming over me.

He winks at me. "Feel you need it now, huh? What about you, ladies?"

Both Bella and Rose opt for Appletinis. Better and better. This will take more than a few minutes.

As soon as he disappears behind one of those doors lining the corridor, presumably the kitchen, I get up and run to the main door. I hear Bella calling me, but I don't stop. My body is in flight mode.

The door isn't locked, so I open it and rush out. The grounds around the house are extensive, and there is a high fence all around. A wrought iron gate looms ahead. I take a look behind me and run like the hounds of hell are following me.

The gate has a padlock, but I can probably climb it. The grill will give me foothold enough. I extend my arms and place a foot on the metal at the same time.

A scream leaves my throat even as I am thrown backwards with the shock I receive. I land in the grass several meters away, my body tingling in an extremely unpleasant manner. I lie there feeling dazed and breathing hard, and when I get up I am furious.

No wonder the door was unlocked, and they didn't chase me. Probably the whole bloody fence is similarly electrified.

I march back to the house, still feeling shaky. All three of them are standing outside. Bella seems somewhat sympathetic, but Rose and Em are laughing openly.

"You certainly run fast, mate," Emmett chortles. "Ever thought of participating in the Olympics?"

Bella raises a warning brow at him and places her hand on my arm. "Edward, I—"

I feel so humiliated. It makes me lash out even though I know it's not the best idea.

"I don't want your sympathy, Bella. You are crazy, batshit crazy. You think you can keep me here against my will? There are people who must be searching for me already—my parents, my agent and my friends. One day the police will find me, and then all of you will be thrown in prison. I will wait for that day!"

Her eyes turn impossibly cold. "That will never happen. Emmett, throw him into his wretched room. He doesn't want to be our guest; he will be our prisoner until he comes to his senses."

Her statement makes me laughs so hard that I fall on the floor, clutching my stomach with both hands. Come to my senses—that's rich, coming from that loony bird!

Emmett the bear picks me up by my collar easily and walks me to my room. Obeying Bella's instructions to the letter, he shoves me so hard that I lose my balance and fall, striking my head against the footboard of the bed. Stars dance in front of my eyes, and I pass out.

When I regain my consciousness, it is completely dark in the room. My head is aching something fierce. I touch it gingerly and wince at the size of the bump there. Stupid, moronic, cave-dweller Emmett!

I go to the bathroom, have a glass of water from the tap and then lie on the bed and think about my predicament. Unless the police finds me, I see no way of getting out. My attempt to run away was useless, I see it now. Even if there was no current in that gate, all I would have managed to do would have been getting lost in the forest outside. How did these people get supplies and all? There must be a car or maybe a…helicopter! If only I could—but I didn't know how to fly a chopper.

Some time later, I am not sure how long, the door opens and Emmett appears with a tray. And a candle in a holder. I don't look at him, but the aroma tells me the tray has the same meal I had in the morning—burger and French fries. The pop of a bottle being opened confirms the presence of beer.

When I continue to look the other way, he sighs as if frustrated. "I advised Bella to not feed you for a few days. That would have curbed your rudeness quickly. But for some reason she wants you to have the privileges she has decided for you. Apparently your idea of a perfect life is getting the three B's—burger, beer and blowjob. Unless you make her really angry, you will get these regularly. Enjoy your candlelight dinner, mate."

I maintain a stony silence even though I want to yell at him that that had been in high school. What teenaged boy wouldn't have like these three things? Not that I didn't enjoy them now, but not in these circumstances. Bella seems to be stuck in a time-warp!

She loves me, but she will let some chick suck my dick every night? Who does that? And what if I overpowered that girl and escaped?

But I can't. I know that. Well, I won't let anyone touch me. I am not a robot, but a human being, with a will of my own.

I will show her she can't force me to love her. Or even keep me here always.

In spite of the growling of my stomach, I don't touch the food or the beer. When Emmett comes to collect the tray, exactly in fifteen minutes, he makes a noise but doesn't comment.

It's not easy to sleep on an empty stomach, but I manage after lots of tossing and turning.

I wake up to a most pleasant sensation in my groin. My head is still aching, though less than last night. I force my eyes open to find dull morning light stealing in the room, and a head bobbing between my legs. Oh no, the sneaky scoundrel has taken advantage of my being asleep!

"Go away," I croak, trying to sit up. It is difficult though, with my throbbing head…and my other head throbbing in her warm mouth. The feeling is too good, and I fall back on the bed as it builds and builds and I explode.

After she leaves silently, I go to the bathroom, feeling used. Is it going to be like this every day? If yes, I might lose my mind soon. At least I will have an easier time living here, in that case!

Thinking of my real life makes me feel even worse. I had worked hard to reach where I was, and to what purpose? Now I am the prisoner of a pack of mad people with no chance of escaping. What must my parents and my agent be thinking? Would they be searching for me or assuming that I had taken an unplanned vacation? I _had_ been complaining of having no time to myself lately, after all.

Tears escape from my eyes even though I blink furiously to make them stop. I have never felt so helpless before. What have I done to deserve this?

I am half asleep when the door opens and the familiar aroma informs me of burger-man's arrival. I don't even open my eyes, let alone look at him. He sighs as if I am a difficult child and plonks down the tray on the table.

"Not eating won't get you anywhere, mate," he states, not unkindly. "Bella loves you. She will never let you go, and nobody can find you here. Better get used to the idea."

Never.

Since I am famished but determined not to eat the burger and fries, I lock myself in the bathroom until I hear him take away the meal.

I pass the day in a sort of stupor, alternately lying down on the bed and pacing the floor. I drink lots of water. When my stomach complains, I tell it that we are on a detox diet.

In the evening, Bella arrives with her bodyguard slash butler. He is carrying a tray, of course. I look at them without any expression.

"Edward," says Bella with a sigh, "why are you being so stubborn? Please eat something."

"No."

She actually stamps her foot. "Why? What do you want?"

"My freedom."

"You know I can't let you go. Anything but that."

I knew she would refuse. But anything else? Perhaps, if I am patient, I can get out of this madhouse one day. For now, I will compromise.

"In that case, I want to have free movement inside and outside this house. I want to eat normal meals. And I definitely do not want anybody sneaking upon me while I am asleep."

"You don't like blowjobs anymore?" she seems genuinely confused.

I exhale heavily. "I want to have a choice. Surely you can understand that?"

"Choice." She ponders over it but nods finally. "All right, I can give you that. You can wander around on the first floor. You can go inside the kitchen, the library, the games room…Maybe I should just show you where you are allowed."

"And I want a light bulb in that holder there," I press. "I am sick of the darkness."

"Okay," she concedes easily. "That was Rose's idea anyway, not mine. She wanted to scare you a bit. Come on, I will show you around. Or would you like to have dinner first? You can join us in the dining room, if you like."

"Bella, I don't think—" begins Emmett, but she stops him mid-sentence.

"Em, I can't see Edward unhappy. If he behaves himself, what is the harm in letting him join us?"

The giant shrugs. I ask for a minute to freshen up. I hadn't even brushed my teeth this morning, I was so pissed.

As we go out in the corridor, Emmett wrinkles his nose.

"You stink, dude."

"Yeah, that happens when you wear the same clothes every day," I answer like a smartass. I look at Bella to see her frowning.

"Emmett, he is right. Please give him his clothes tomorrow."

 _Give him?_ Does she mean…

"Of course, Bella. Dude, you have a ton of clothes stored here. Bella has been getting them for months now."

Oh yes, they had been _expecting_ me. Weirdos.

Rose seems surprised to see me downstairs, but takes it in her stride. We have dinner in an elegant room, very Victorian in the furniture and general décor. The food is simple—a vegetable soup, salad, grilled chicken and bread. But for my ravenous stomach, it's like manna from heaven.

Bella shows me around afterwards, at least the rooms she says I am allowed into. The house is a mix of period and modern, but quite tastefully done. The library is full of all kinds of books, the music room has a grand piano and several guitars, and the kitchen is state-of-the-art. I keep my eyes peeled for a computer or a smartphone, but nothing. The only phones present are meant to be used inside the house as it is so big.

Of course there is a gym and an indoor swimming pool, as well as a much bigger one outside. There is even a small stable with four horses; the fourth one for me, of course.

There must be more people around, I guess. Looking after such a large house and grounds, not to mention the horses, requires more than three people. All I had to do was to get one of them to let me make a phone call.

I will have to be careful though. I have to make sure that Bella trusts me. Rushing into something won't work here.

However impatient I am, I decide to take it slow. If I change my attitude all of a sudden, she will be suspicious. Let her and the others see that I am changing gradually, almost reluctantly.

I follow my plan to the letter. I begin with spending an hour or two with each of them every day, on the pretext of getting bored. A few days later I ask Bella how she ended up here, and she tells me that this property belonged to her godfather (no connection with the mafia!), Phil Dwyer.

"I had hardly ever seen him before the accident," she tells me as we enjoy the brisk air outside. "He was some reclusive scientist who had been at school with Charlie. Their friendship must have been very strong, for they had promised to be the godfather of each other's children. Phil never married though, so Charlie had no opportunity of fulfilling his promise. But Phil sent me birthday and Christmas gifts regularly, and after the accident he arranged the best hospitals and the best surgeons for me. I was in such a bad condition that I had to have multiple skin grafts and other treatments for years, and even after that…Well, there was a limit to what the surgeons could do, and even I got sick of hospitals, so I refused to have anything more done."

It is a sad story, if rather fascinating, and I try to imagine how difficult those years must have been for Bella. "So Phil brought you here? And your father? Didn't he resign from his post? I remember he moved away and never returned to Forks."

"Yes," she nods in agreement, "my father supported me so much, accompanying me from one hospital to another and taking care of me for years. He missed Forks, but he said he would return only after I was well enough to lead a normal life. But before I could persuade him to go back because this was as normal as I was going to be, he fell ill."

She becomes quiet, and I understand that whatever it was, Charlie did not recover from it.

"And your mother?"

She snorts. "Oh, she had disappeared before I came to Forks. That was the reason I moved there suddenly, you know? Even when I was with her, she was not quite _present_ , and then one fine day I woke up and…she wasn't there. Charlie met her doctor when he came for me, and he said she had had some mental problem for years…Somehow she had managed to hide it from neighbors and colleagues."

Now I feel even more bad for her. What a raw deal life has given her! And I made it worse for her, much worse.

"These things are hereditary, aren't they?" she says in a low voice. "I will probably go batty too, just like Renee."

This is not a good time to point out that what she has done is batty enough. I am truly sorry for her. In her place, I would have probably done the same.

"So where is Phil now? Does he ever visit you?" I try to change the topic.

That bring s a smile to her lips. "Oh, he has been buried somewhere in Africa, researching some dreadful tropical disease and trying to find a cure for it. I get messages from him sometimes, but I haven't seen him for years. He has transferred all this," she waves a hand around, "to me, saying it is of no use to him. Maybe he will visit one day. I hope so."

Wow. This must be worth millions of dollars.

"So what do you do here, if you don't mind?"

The same shy expression appears on her face that I had seen at our first meeting. "Um, well, I write books. Science-fiction, mostly."

This takes me by surprise. I had pictured her enjoying the wealth she has, and the comforts derived from it, without lifting a single finger. But a writer?

"You are surprised," she remarks with a smile.

I don't try to deny it. "I hadn't imagined you…But then, what do I know about you? Did you always want to write?"

She tilts her head elegantly. "I guess so, though I had no concrete plans. Like any other high school kid, I suppose. Writing was an escape for me, and when I went through all those painful surgeries, it became even more so. I created a new world with my words where I could control everything, where the characters lived the life I designed for them. It made me feel powerful."

I am not a great reader, but still I find myself curious. "What books have you written? Perhaps I have read some of them. I don't read a lot, but I like sci-fi."

She names a few books and a five book-series, and I happily tell her that I have read the series, and a couple of others. I gush how amazing I found them, and how much I wanted to meet the author. But nobody knew anything about her.

Even through the mask I can see her grimace. "Yeah, well, can you imagine it otherwise? Book tours, readings…I can't do any of that. Beauty may be skin deep, but it is all people see until they come to know the person really well."

I can't think of anything to say. She is famous, but she can't enjoy her fame openly because of her scarred face. How unfair is that?

"Well, at least I got to meet you, even though it was…unplanned." I try to make the atmosphere lighter.

She laughs soundlessly. "Yes, like Beauty and the Beast. Though nobody has imagined the Beast as being female, right?"

I want to tell her she is wrong, but I can't. Whatever her reasons, abducting me was still wrong. I can sympathize with her, but I can't agree with her actions.

Does she really understand what she has done? Maybe she lives in a world of her own, where only her rules apply. Or maybe she has some kind of mental problem. Who the hell imagines that someone they have abducted will fall in love with them?

Still, my only chance of leaving depends on Bella trusting me, so I continue to meet her daily. It is not exactly a torture. She is intelligent and witty, and can hold her own in a conversation. Sometimes we watch movies on the giant flatscreen in the TV room. I find she has no patience for syrupy, romantic flicks and loves war movies. Also anything with aliens or zombies. We have a lot of fun on those evenings.

The movies are all DVDs, by the way. There is no cable connection, so there is no chance of watching news. It is like living in a bubble, in the world but not quite in it.

As the months pass, my old life begins to seem like a faraway dream. I adjust to this quiet lifestyle. I come to know Emmett and Rose better, though Rose is still suspicious of my intentions. Emmett is more open and easier to understand. I don't know exactly how Rose and Bella met, but I can see that she is fiercely protective of Bella. They had saved Emmett's life while he was hunting in the forest, and by the time he got well he was too much in love with Rose to want to leave.

"I had no family to speak of," he shrugs and explains, "and not much of a life. So when I got a second chance here, I took it."

Is it that simple? I do have parents, though we were not particularly close, and as for my career and the people I know because of it, none of it seems too important now. I have lost touch with my school friends, and I have none in the world of cut-throat glamor. My agent is probably the only man who will miss me, if only for the lucrative commission he got out of my contracts. I ask myself again if this change is really bad, and if I should really go back (I don't even think of it as _escape_ ) if I get a chance.

There are other people here, though not many. They look after the horses and the grounds, and help with the maintenance of the house. None of them is particularly talkative though, and after a while I stop trying to elicit any kind of information out of them. They will probably report to Bella anyway if I am too open about it.

Speaking of Bella, she is a very good swimmer. We compete frequently in the indoor pool, since the weather has become too cold for the one outside. One day I told her that she didn't need to wear the mask because of me. I wanted her comfortable in her own house.

She gets me everything I want—clothes, shoes, more books, music CDs. I have been given a bigger and much better room too. When I developed a sudden liking for art, she provided me with all the material I could possibly need. When I proved to be terrible at it, she encouraged me and got me video tutorials.

Rose has been teaching me to play the piano. I had lessons as a child, but that was long ago. Over the months, I have improved a lot. Emmett and Bella are good on guitars, and we frequently have musical sessions together.

I don't know when or how it happened, but I feel attracted to Bella. At first I admired the strength she had shown in continuing with life after suffering so much, but slowly it became a physical thing. She has a marvelously toned body with tempting curves, and seeing her in a bikini makes me hard. If she notices, she doesn't say anything.

One day, I give in to my desire and kiss her just after she has beaten me in the pool, both of us panting with the exertion of swimming ten laps nonstop. But that chlorine-infused kiss charges us, and in seconds our clothes are off and we are horizontal on a towel by the pool. Bella tells me that she is not a virgin, but she might well be, seeing the last time she had sex was in high school. She is deliciously tight and welcoming, and I barely last long enough to give her an orgasm. Having her writhing beneath me and moaning my name gives me a high I have never experienced before, and I realize that I have begun to care for her.

Does that make me crazy? Perhaps. I don't care.

From that day, I can't keep my hands—and other parts of me—off her. We spend our nights together, either in her room or mine. It is as if the passion she has suppressed for years has been unleashed. We experiment constantly, and since both of us are in good shape and Bella is extremely flexible, we can do almost anything the Kamasutra has in it.

I am sure Rose and Emmett know, but they don't say anything. Except one morning when I am sporting a nice love-bite on my neck. Emmett winks at me, and Rose gives Bella a thumbs-up. But when we start canoodling on the sofa, Emmett makes a gagging sound and Rose rolls her eyes.

Bella tells them it is payback for everything she has had to see and hear over the years, making all of us laugh.

A few weeks later, Bella gets a message from Phil and tells me he gives us his blessings and will try to visit soon. And then she surprises me with a proposal.

"I want to go for surgery again," she says as we are taking a walk in the garden, holding hands and appreciating the budding signs of spring. I stop so suddenly that she almost loses her balance and I have to catch her. Not that I mind.

"Isn't that risky?"

She gazes at me with her beautiful, deep brown eyes. "No more than all the other surgeries I have gone through."

"But those were necessary, Bella. Why now?"

"Because there have been major breakthroughs in cosmetic surgery in the last ten years, and because I want to look better for you."

"If you want to expand your horizon, Bella, interact with your readers and enjoy your fame, then go for surgery. But don't do it just for me. I love you just as you are."

There was a moment of intense silence, and then her lips twitch. "Did you say you love me?"

The happiness inside me makes my lips curve upwards. "I guess I did. Maybe I am as loony as you are, my swan-bird."

"Then we are perfect for each-other, aren't we?" She is laughing now, and so am I because I can't contain the joy in my heart.

"I guess we are."

She says she loves me too, and then I say it again because it sounds so good and freeing, and then we kiss and kiss. Finally she draws back and looks at me seriously.

"I want to give you the world, Edward, and for that I need to face the world. I will go for it, one last time."

"I want to see you spread your wings, Bella, and fly fearlessly like a swan. I will always be with you."

* * *

 **Hosts note: Please leave the author some love. Reviews are encouragement. In case you have an idea of the author's identity, please do not disclose it in the reviews or anywhere else.**

 **P.S. We love you.**


End file.
